To the editor: This article only provides a small window into household power bills and heat pumps by focusing solely on winter (“California wants millions of heat pumps. High power bills might get in the way,” March 1). But any Californian can tell you that we have to look at the whole home over the full year — including summer — to accurately represent monthly power bills.
As an expert in the building industry with more than 25 years of experience, I’ve seen firsthand how highly efficient electric heat pumps deliver year-round comfort while helping families save on monthly bills. RMI analysis has found that a typical single-family household in California that upgrades to heat pumps for space and water heating can reduce its annual energy bills by an average of $670 across all fuel types.
This is because heat pumps are 20% more efficient than old air conditioning systems, and also serve as a two-in-one appliance. That means they can also heat a home 300% more efficiently than a gas furnace.
California households are struggling with higher utility bills. Efficient electric heat pumps can lower bills and keep cooling in the summer affordable.
Ted Tiffany, Santa Rosa
This writer is the senior technical lead for clean energy advocacy group Building Decarbonization Coalition.
